Gembound
by Chara4
Summary: Pearl prepares to graduate from the Terran Protectorate academy when something goes horribly wrong.. (Probably not going to continue)


**Here's a new side-story I decided to write! For some backstory, I downloaded a mod in Starbound which adds Gems to the game, so I made Pearl my character (as you do). I added a little story to it, and I decided to write it down! I hope you all enjoy! This is probably going to be the only chapter though.**

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Pearl had been in the Terran Protectorate almost since it's founding, several decades ago upon humanity's discovery of extraterrestrial life. Wishing to put it's violent past behind, humanity formed an alliance between all the races it discovered. Pearl wished to be apart of this, since her days of monster hunting have long since been over. Due to never having discovered a cure for corruption, Pearl believed that humanities best scientists could help. The other Crystal Gems disagreed, believing that humanity was not advanced enough to accomplish anything of the sort. However, her fellow Gems did not stop her, allowing her to run off to join the Protectorate. Finally, after many years of training and constant diligence, Pearl had finally reached the end of her training and was about to be granted a device that signified a full member of the Terran Protectorate: A matter manipulator.

Despite Pearl's lack of a need for sleep, she'd managed to pass out sometime last night after a party with her fellow graduates. She barely had any memories of the night, which surprised her considering she has a photographic memory. Upon waking up Pearl realized that she was late for her graduation! She rushed to put on her uniform and passed through several of the towers combining her dorm to the building in which the graduation would be taking place. Pearl had stopped to watch the city outside, many times making the connection of it closely resembling Homeworld as she left it, so many years ago. During her time in the Protectorate, she'd informed the humans about the threat of Homeworld. Several years later, after much cooperation, Pearl had helped humanity construct a defense strategy in the event of a Homeworld invasion. Several times had Homeworld vessels attempted to land to do stars-knows-what, since the construction of the defense network all had been shot down. After salvaging the wreckages, humanity had been advanced by centuries! Allowing for all the sights you could see today.

Pearl passed the entrance to the graduation hall, getting several greetings from her fellow graduates, and several remarks about how late she was. Luckily, however, she hadn't missed the actual graduation part and everyone was just quieting down for the opening speech as she entered. She listened to the speech halfheartedly, not really caring about hearing a telling of the history she was there to bear witness to. She did listen, however, when the speaker announced what everyone would be getting, several things were mentioned that she'd gain, but she only really cared about the Matter Manipulator. She believed, that if this device were able to change the very composition and structure of objects, she'd be able to use it to get all her friends back from the war. Recombine shattered pieces, fix corrupted minds, the works. She was smiling ear to ear as she listened to the end of the speech... That was when everything went _horribly_ wrong.

The tower shook, and a look out the window would reveal that all of the towers in the city were as well. Suddenly, there was a bright light and several multicolored tentacles burst through the floor. The sound of a tower falling nearby and screams filled the air. All the graduates had run back in the direction of their dorms. The speaker noticed Pearl and threw her the matter manipulator before being pulled into the floor. Pearl caught it before turning the direction she came.. Only to find that it was blocked, she turned around and ran in the opposite direction. After moving several piles of debris, she came across a room with a crate. Upon opening the crate, Pearl discovered a broken sword. Despite her having her spear, she couldn't help but take the sword with her. Soon, she arrived at a glass walkway being blocked by one of the tentacles, she cut the thing in half and ran through the bridge before more appeared. Sparing a glance to her left, she saw the building she'd called home for the past few years topple over.. Into another building, then another.. The buildings she'd ran through were being used as colossal dominoes!

Continuing to run, understandably not wanting to be caught in the rubble that would undoubtedly be created. She ran to the side of one building onto a balcony and jumped across to another, shorter tower. She turned, only to find that the building she'd just leapt from was now several hundred feet below her in a massive pile. Turning back to the building she'd jumped to, she began running across the beams that once held up the roof; which were now far below her, fallen through the glass of a large aquarium which the building once held. Reaching the other side of the building, she laid her eyes on the place she'd been running to: The launch pad. On it were several reverse engineered Gem ships. The closest appeared to be one of the fingers of a hand ship. She boarded and quickly ran to the pilot's seat, putting in coordinates for high Earth orbit. After she started the launch sequence, she pulled her phone out of her gem and called the one person she just about lived for. The call was answered and Pearl saw the old wooden building she'd come to miss.

"Pearl!?" A familiar voice asked.

"Steven!" Pearl responded, relieved that Steven had answered, "I'm on my way! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright! And don't worr-" The call was cut off by a loud banging sound, startling Pearl.

"Steven?! Steven!? Are you still there?" Pearl frantically attempted to change the coordinates for her old home, Beach city.

 _Don't worry guys, I'm on my way._ Pearl thought as she put in the numbers.

However, suddenly, something violently bumped into the ship. Pearl was knocked onto the control panel and was poofed. The ship accepted the newly input coordinates and aimed accordingly. As the ship zoomed across the sky, beneath, the Earth was quickly being torn inside out. Cracks erupting large amounts of magma into the sky snaking their way through cities; buildings reaching into the exosphere falling down to the surface, flattening anything unlucky enough to be caught beneath it; the oceans themselves seemingly being drained in massive whirlpools down into the depths of the planet. To anyone who hadn't been attached to the planet in any way, the sight was a beautiful display of the destructive prowess of the Gem Empire. As the ship prepared to warp, many small ships attempted to eject themselves into the safety of the cosmos, only to be swatted and fall out of the sky, or be shocked by abnormally powerful bolts of lightning. However, many did succeed in escape, Pearl's being one of the lucky ones.

The planet disappeared quickly in the distance, the speck of blue many races had come to call home beginning to glow like a new star in the sky for several moments before fading. The planet that had housed the center of many an empire becoming another victim to the ruthlessness of the Diamonds. And by the stars, once this news found it's way across the cosmos...

 ** _Someone was going to pay..._**


End file.
